Woman grimacing with hand on the left side of her head suffering from tinnitus

Do you have ringing in your ears that’s driving you crazy? Learn whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause might be.

Tinnitus, what exactly is it?

A ringing, buzzing, or droning in the ears with no external cause of the noise is a condition called tinnitus. The term tinnitus translates to “ringing like a bell.”

How will tinnitus affect my day to day living?

Tinnitus can be annoying and can interrupt intimate interactions. It’s usually an indication that you have damaged hearing or some root health condition and not a disease in and of itself. You might hear tinnitus in one ear or both ears and it can hinder your ability to focus.

Regardless of how you’re experiencing tinnitus, it is always bothersome. influence your sleep and even trigger anxiety and depression.

What are the causes of tinnitus?

Tinnitus can be enduring or it can come and go. Lengthy exposure to loud sound, like a rock concert, is normally the cause of temporary tinnitus. Tinnitus has been known to co-occur with several different medical issues.

A few of the conditions that may play host to tinnitus include:

  • Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the fragile hairs used to conduct sound, causing arbitrary transmissions of sound to your brain
  • Injuries to the neck or head
  • The ear bone has undergone changes
  • Inner ear infections
  • Bruxism, more commonly referred to as teeth grinding caused by temporomandibular joint issues, or TMJ disorder
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Various medications
  • Exposure to loud noise for extended periods of time
  • Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor forms on the cranial nerve going from the inner ear to the brain
  • Meniere’s Disease
  • Hearing impairment related to aging
  • Excessive earwax build-up
  • Injuries that affect nerves of the ear

Is it possible that my parents may have passed down the ringing in my ears?

Tinnitus isn’t directly inherited. However, your genetics can play a role in this symptom. You can, as an example, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. These changes are caused by abnormal bone growth that can be handed down through family lines. A few of the other conditions that can produce ringing in the ear might be inherited from your parents, including:

  • Specific diseases
  • Being predisposed to depression or anxiety
  • Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up

You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are disorders that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you could have inherited.

If your family has a history of tinnitus, you should certainly come in for an assessment.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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